Comments from formermovieguy

Maybe you and I have different ideas about what constitutes a “movie theater,” but I don’t think that we are necessarily too far apart. So, I am going to give you two reasons that I posted this venue for movies (but haven’t included any other library auditoriums).

First, is the nature of this particular auditorium. When it was constructed, just over 100 years ago, movies were one of the anticipated uses. Like most auditoriums built in that era, it has a stage as well as a screen, and for 100+ years, it has hosted lectures, music performances, stage plays, political meetings, etc. and, yes, also movies. This is consistent with other auditoriums listed on the site that were built to host mixed content, to include movies. I contrast this with a common sort of library showing of movies, where they set up a reading room with rows of chairs, and run what is basically a home-video system. I wouldn’t call that a movie theater, either.

Second, there is really no hard and fast rule about exactly what makes one venue eligible for inclusion here and excludes another. Some local libraries that do have a small admission fee charge more than the lowest cost commercial houses. Is one a theater, and the other not?

Even modern multiplex theaters, built without stages, much less dressing rooms, etc., still rent out auditoriums for non-movie functions. And some theaters have been used for both movie and non-movie purposes at different points in their lives. A good example of this lies just two blocks away from the Carpenter. The Palace Theatre was built as a live stage and music house, then was converted to movies only for more than 30 years, closed, and later was restored as a gorgeous little performing arts venue. I haven’t heard of films being screened there in quite some time, but they could be running again next month for all I know. Despite the current lack of movies, the Palace has a nice section here on Cinema Treasures.

This theater was opened with two screens by General Cinema Corp. It was later tripled, then made a 4-plex, by splitting each of the original houses into two. This theater and the Bedford Mall 4 were sold to Canad by GCC at the same time.

The Strand finished its movie life as a seedy XXX house. The auditorium then sat empty while the building turned into a flophouse, with a warren of makeshift hallways and cubicles housing society’s forgotten. The building caught fire and was gutted. It was later turned into luxury housing, called the Opera Block Apartments. The brick facade looks about the same, although stripped of long-time white paint, but the former auditorium is now a parking lot for the apartments that ring it.

Later, it became The Movies, and at some point was tripled. A new cross wall was built where the floor seating started in the original auditorium, and the front half of the house was split, with seats facing uphill to screens on the new wall.

In the mid-1980s, The Movies played a mix of films, including some offbeat first runs (Re-Animator), and revivals (1962 Manchurian Candidate). This was also the local venue for a weekly midnight Rocky Horror Picture Show.

GCC eventually split both original auditoriums to make this theater a 4-plex. They later sold off their NH properties to Canad Cinemas. Canad added 3 more screens. Regal bought this theater (like others in the area) directly from Canad when that company shut down.